Page 64 of Waking Roslyn

“Back here,” she called.

I followed the sound of her voice to the room off the kitchen that held a small cot, a chair, and various other items. It could be used as a sickroom if any servants fell ill, but it was mostly used by my mother and the other kitchen staff when they weren’t actively working on food preparation. My mother sat in the corner, mending one of Gretchen’s dresses that she had torn while training. She looked up at me with a smile, but the moment she saw Rose, her smile dropped and she set her work aside.

She came over to Rose and gently framed her face with her hands. “Is your head hurting?”

Rose shrugged. “Only a little.”

“Come sit.”

Rose did as my mother asked, allowing Mum to fuss over her and make her comfortable. My mother talked and told stories, put more salve on Rose’s wound, and showed her Gretchen’s torn skirt when Rose asked about it. She even invited Rose to sit in the kitchen with her while she started preparing dinner.

By the time Rose left, she was smiling and calm again. And as the door closed behind her, my mother let out a sigh. “Poor dear.” She shook her head, motherly concern written all over her face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, leaning my hands on the counter.

“Tell you what?” she asked as she cut up potatoes.

“That Lord Rockwell had hit her.”

She gave me a grim look. “Not my place to speak ill of his lordship. Our livelihood is dependent on his good opinion.”

“Mum—”

“Plus,” she interrupted, “I had no idea that you were so interested in the young lady’s well-being.” Her eyes were piercing as she looked at me. “Since when are you friends with Lady Rockwell’s guest?”

I blew out a breath and sank down onto a stool so that I would be at eye-level with her. “She asked me to teach her how to fight.”

Her brow furrowed as she scooped up handfuls of cubed potatoes and put them in a pot. “Why would she wish to fight?”

“I think she’s in trouble,” I admitted and felt my hands start to shake.

“What kind of trouble?”

“I’m not certain,” I said, hedging so that I wouldn’t break Rose’s trust. “But I am worried for her. I think she came here thinking it would be a haven, and now Rockwell is hitting her.”

“Lord Rockwell, you mean?”

I ignored her correction. “She needs to be taken care of, not abused.”

“But that’s not your job, is it?” Her expression was more worried than chiding, but it still made me bristle.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She let out a sigh. “I am proud to have a son who sees someone in need and does something about it. But I don’t want you to confuse compassion with…deeper feelings. You were not meant to care for a highborn woman.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not falling in love with her, Mum.”

“Good,” she said stiffly as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Because there is no happy ending if you do.”

I stood and bent over the counter to kiss her cheek. “Don’t worry, Mum. I’m not such a fool.” I left through the back door and returned to the hedges I’d been trimming, ready to take my wrath out on them and worried that I’d just lied to my mother.

15

Roslyn

The next day, I walked outside, mostly to create as much distance between myself and Edmund as possible. It took me only a few minutes to find John where he was pruning some bushes. When he saw me, he smiled, but it was laced with concern. “Looking for an escape again?” he asked.

I appreciated his attempt at teasing. “I’m just angry, that’s all.”